This invention relates to a teaching aid and comprises a device for assisting in the learning of reading.
When teaching reading it is often advantageous for the pupil to point at words which are recognised. Teachers assisting the pupil often follow the words with a pointer or finger in order to emphasize the correct reading direction and to focus attention of the point to which progress has been made. It is also a common practice to place a straight edge or rule in such a position that the line of words to be read appears adjacent the straight edge (line tracking).
When longer words are encountered, it is often advantageous for the pupil if these can be broken up into pronounceable syllables. To achieve this it is the teacher""s aim to obscure parts of the longer word in order to focus attention on particular syllables in sequence. However, when this is done using the teacher""s fingers, it is extremely difficult not to obscure more of the text than is required to be covered. The teacher""s hands and/forearms often obscure parts of the text which the pupil is intended to be reading.
In the present Applicant""s UK patent GB 2 297 186 a teaching aid is described which is simple to use and can accurately obscure parts of a written text in order to focus the pupil""s attention on particular words or syllables.
There have however been difficulties in accurately operating the device and it has been found that the masking elements can be easily obscured by the operator, that is the pupil""s or the teacher""s fingers. There has also been difficulties in opening and closing the device due to its particular construction.
The present invention is intended to overcome some of the difficulties referred to above by providing a particular position for the user""s fingers which ensures that they do not obscure the masking elements and making the device easy to operate.
According to the present invention a reading teaching aid comprises two substantially coplanar masking elements each of which defines at least one edge of a viewing area, said elements being carried on the respective first ends of a pair of elongate arms which are resiliently hinged together at their second ends, each of said elongate arms having finger reception means adjacent said masking elements which include a substantially horizontal portion and an upstanding portion to allow said masking elements to be pressed onto a supporting surface and moved towards and away from each other against the resilience of the hinge to vary the dimensions of the viewing area.
The finger reception means can also be arranged to act as stop means to limit the inward movement of the masking elements and thus prevent them from overlapping.
Preferably the substantially horizontal part of each of the finger reception means is on the side of the interconnecting arms which is adjacent the other arm.
In a preferred construction the arms are of a substantial xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped cross-section in the area of the finger reception means.
The arms can be connected together by the resilient hinge which is formed by an interconnecting extension of the upstanding portions of the L-shaped parts of the arms.
Each of the masking elements can be substantially rectangular or square in plan view and they can be tinted.
In order to make the device more attractive to children it can be decorated and/or shaped to represent a natural or fictional character. Thus, the elongate arms can be decorated or shaped to
The masking elements could also be decorated and/or shaped to represent paws or feet at the distal end of the arms.
The creature can be human, animal, fish, insect or alien or imaginary creature.
The invention can be performed in various ways but one embodiment will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompany drawings in which: